The Replacement
by Phenomenon
Summary: Sango decides to take a little vacation, and needs to find a double to pose as her while she's gone. Will she get caught, or will she be able to pull the ultimate switcharoo? InuyashaSCII crossover. R&R Complete and now re-edited!
1. The Interview

_You lucky dogs! If you're reading this, then you're reading a new and improved version of this story! Nothing major has been changed, only a couple of unnecessary bits and pieces have been removed and I tried to fix some quotation confusion. For my own sake, some of the beginning and ending author notes will be kept, although they are far from being needed at this point. Enjoy!_

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or any of its characters.

**The Replacement**

Sango took a look at the woman standing before her. The physical similarities were uncanny; the same hair, the same body type, even their clothes looked a little similar. The woman was staring her down, her arms crossed. Sango then decided that she looked close enough and began the interview.

"What is your name?" she asked. The woman answered her.

"And your occupation?"

The woman's face softened a little, as if remembering something painful. "I'm a demon slayer, and a renegade ninja."

Sango nodded. The similarities just kept adding up. "What is your current mission?"

The woman's face hardened back up again. "I'm after a demon with a hold on something dear to me. If I can destroy the demon then I can destroy its hold."

"Of course, of course. You're on a long journey, meeting many friends and enemies along the way, mostly enemies?"

The woman didn't answer right away. "It's almost like we're the same person in a different dimension."

"That's always a possibility. So do you have any questions for me?"

"Yes." The woman turned to face Sango. "What are you asking me to do?"

"I want you to pretend to be me for a week while I go on a little vacation. It's pretty important that they don't get a single clue that I'm gone. After I come back, we'll meet and switch again.

I don't have to do much with your appearance, but you'll have to wield my Hiraikotsu, along with all knowledge of my circumstances. You'll also have to become acquainted with Kilala, or else she might give you away. Can you do that?"

The woman nodded. "One more question. How much will you give me for this?"

"I'll give you 500,000. If you get caught, then I won't pay you fully."

"That won't happen," the woman said coolly.

"We'll see," Sango said. "I also have one more question. This one's the most important."

"Proceed," the woman said.

"What would you do if a lecher fondled you?"

"I'd slit his throat."

"Think less lethal and more painful."

"I don't need a weapon to knock someone out."

"Good answer. I think you'll do just fine, um, Taki, was it?"

"That's right."

Sango shook Taki's hand. "Come on, let's get started, shall we?" Both of them walked into the darkness.

* * *

_Phenomenon's adoring fans: Gasp!_

_That's right! The replacement was Taki from Soul Calibur! Seriously, they do look alike, don't they?_


	2. Preparation and Day One

_To my three reviewers: Thank you thank you thank you! In appreciation for what you've done, I'm going to do something that I have NEVER done: respond!_

Saphireinuyasha: Here it is. You can stop the mob now! .

Kamon: You got your wish. So did I. Everybody's happy!

Unknown Wanderer: Good point. Let's see how much I can manipulate that fact in the story…

_Chapters will be separated into days and nights until Sango comes back, then we'll have an ending that I hope will keep you satisfied. But that's a while from now, so moving on!_

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha or Soul Calibur II or any of its characters.

**Preparation and Day 1**

Sango and Taki were facing each other. Taki was now dressed in Sango's clothes, and was really looking the part. Sango checked her to see if she had anything that might give her away. Nothing so far.

"Take off your kimono," Sango said. Taki obliged. The black and pink suit underneath looked the same, too, except…

"Oh my gosh," Sango murmured. This could be a problem…

"What's the problem?" Taki asked.

Sango cleared her throat nervously. "We, um, don't have the same bust size." That was putting it mildly. Taki had to be at least triple her size.

"Well…" Taki started. It was the first time someone had ever complained about the size of her breasts. "What do you want to do about it?"

"There's nothing we _can _do." Sango huffed. "You'll just have to play it off." Taki definitely had her work cut out for her.

Sango took off Hiraikotsu and handed it to Taki. "We need to see how well you handle Hiraikotsu." Taki nodded and took the giant boomerang. If she thought it was heavy, she didn't show it. Sango pointed to a target about a hundred feet away. "Can you hit that?"

Taki looked at the target, concentrating. Swiftly, she ran and released Hiraikotsu. It flew straight, and smashed the target into pieces. Taki caught it perfectly when it came back.

"Excellent." Sango turned. "Kilala!"

"Rawr!" Kilala answered, and came running to her in the larger form. "Now," Sango said, "Ride Kilala and hit the other target."

Taki stared at the creature, who was also staring at her. "Do you trust me?" she asked. Kilala purred softly. That's the closest to a yes she was going to get. Taki straddled Kilala, and they took off. Kilala was steady, and Taki broke the next target with as much ease as she broke the last one. Sango nodded approval.

"The only thing you have to do now is meet the others." Sango thought for a moment. "I think the only person that will give you problems is Inuyasha. He'll smell that you're different. You'll have to play that one off, too. Everyone else is fine; you'll just have to adjust to their mannerisms. Well, let's go, they're wondering where I am probably." Taki and Sango entered the forest where the rest of them were waiting, with Kilala close behind.

Sango and Taki stopped at a distance where they could see the others clearly and not be noticed. Sango pointed each person out for Taki.

"That one in the red is Inuyasha. His bark is worse than his bite. The one with the strange clothes is Kagome. She's from the future. The one with the tail is Shippo. He isn't worth mentioning. The one with the staff is Miroku. Just ignore him if he asks you to bare his children." Taki raised an eyebrow to the last remark, but studied them silently.

"Well, I must be off now. Are you ready?"

"Yes," Taki answered. She headed for the group when Sango stopped her one last time.

"Wait. There's one more thing. Remember that Naraku is our enemy, so Naraku is your enemy. Don't forget that."

Taki gave her a look that confirmed understanding, and then turned to finally meet everyone face to face.

* * *

"Sorry I'm late," Taki said quickly as she sat amongst her unknowing clients.

"Where have you been?" Kagome asked. Apparently everyone wanted to know, because they turned their attention to her.

"Unfinished business," she answered.

"Really," Inuyasha said skeptically. He sniffed the air. "You smell different."

"Your nose is broken."

"What?" Inuyasha was baffled. "That's crazy!"

"You're crazy." Taki was smirking now.

"You…" Inuyasha growled, and went after her. Kagome tried to hold him back. "Control yourself, now. I said contro- oh forget it. SIT!" CRASH!

Taki jumped. She wasn't expecting that. Now they were staring even more.

"Is there something wrong, Sango?"

"No," Taki answered quickly, straightening up. She knew she had a lot to learn on her own.

"Really?" This time Miroku was a bit skeptical. "Will you bear my child?" Taki chopped him at the base of his neck. He fell like a sack of potatoes.

"Everything seems fine to me," Kagome stated.

"Where'd you learn how to chop someone like that?" asked Inuyasha, still unconvinced.

"I taught myself," Taki answered smartly. Inuyasha stared for a second, and then had a breakthrough.

"Okay, so you are Sango," he said casually. "I smell my brother up ahead. We might encounter him in a couple of days."

"You mean Sesshomaru? We can just take a detour to avoid him, if you don't want to get dragged around again." That shut Inuyasha up.

"No further questions," Miroku said, conscious again, but still on the ground.

"Good," Taki said with finality. "We were wasting time asking trivial questions."

* * *

_Yeah, I know what you're thinking. How did Taki know about Sesshomaru when she wasn't told? It's a secret! The next chapter will be mostly Soul Calibur, so skip it if you want but I'd really appreciate it if you'd give it a chance. Until next chapter, then!_


	3. Night One

_Thanking my reviewers once more this chapter. There aren't a lot of you, but there's enough. This chapter focuses mainly on Soul Calibur. _

_Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha or Soul Calibur. Not now, not ever._

**Night One**

It was around midnight. The fire had been put out and Taki was by herself outside, looking up at the stars. She waited patiently until everyone had fallen asleep before changing into her ninja gear. This was supposed to be Sango's vacation for a week, but in a way, it was Taki's getaway too. For a week, she didn't have to worry about Soul Edge, master Toki and her evil blade. Hopefully this week wouldn't go by too fast…

Speak of the devil; Mekki-Maru began to glow furiously. "Impossible," Taki breathed, and let the blade guide her to the source. Only one thing set Mekki-Maru off like this, and she had no idea how it could be here.

When she arrived, she was in a clearing. A clearing full of ninjas, I might add. Taki had faced hordes of ninjas before, so she wasn't intimidated. She looked to the one who looked most like the leader, then drew Rekki-Maru. She was accepting their challenge. They acknowledged the acceptance by yelling like maniacs and trying to attack her at once. This never, ever works. Taki expertly singled out each ninja and took them out, being very superior to their third-class skills. Soon, there was only one left. His eyes glowed with an unearthly power. They stared each other down for a minute, and then they both attacked. They were fighting for hours before they stopped, knowing that the sun was about to rise. "We'll finish this later," Taki said, sheathing Rekki-Maru and running as fast as she could back to the others.

As she watched the sunrise, now safely back at the camp and in Sango's clothes again, she wondered what this meant for her current mission. Her chances of being discovered just went through the roof, especially if any other warriors saw her. She knew that many of them were here; right now she could sense the wind priestess, the British sadist, and that annoying wannabe samurai. It was very possible that there were more. Plus, Soul Edge was here. She didn't know where, but it managed to find _her_ the one time she wasn't trying to find _it._

While deeply in thought, everyone had awoken. They quickly noticed that Taki was up before all of them.

"What did you do, stay up all night?" Inuyasha asked smartly.

"No," Taki answered. _That's right Taki. It was all just a dream…a dream from which you cannot wake._

**How's Sango doing?**

Sango had just arrived on a tropical island and was planning out her free week.

A local came to help her out. "Can I help you with anything?"

"Yes," Sango said, turning. "Could you tell me where-" She saw the man's appearance and let out a yelp. If Miroku had a tan, he would look like this guy.

"What?" the man asked in a panic, "What's wrong?"

"N-nothing," Sango stuttered. She stared at him for a long time. "What's your name?"

"My name?" the man repeated. "It's Mike. What's your name?"

"Um, Sango." She shook her head in disbelief. This was the last thing she expected…

* * *

_I'm evil, I know! This is how the chapters will be set up: days and nights until the conclusion. I'll check up on Sango every once in a while. I know this chapter was kind of short but I was just trying to build a plot so, don't be too disappointed._

_Let me hear from ya…review!_


	4. Day Two

_Thanks again to my reviewers. So now I've revealed that SCII characters are going to be put in the story. And, most of them will get bashed so don't complain if your favorite does! _

_Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha or its characters or Soul Calibur II or any of its characters._

**Day Two**

Inuyasha and company were in a new town. It looked small and peaceful, but everyone in town had a nervous and unsure look on their faces. They immediately began questioning.

"Excuse me, but have any demons passed through here?"

"Umm, no." And they would turn and leave as quickly as they possibly could. It was the same for everyone they asked, until they got to the inn.

The first person they saw was the innkeeper in the lobby, looking twice as nervous as everyone else. He was very jumpy and was looking around as if the walls would close in and crush him. Kagome slowly walked over to him and tapped him on the shoulder. "Excuse-"

"AAH!" He jumped about two feet in the air then fell over. He looked up at Kagome in fear.

"Relax, sir, I was just going to ask you if you'd seen any demons or the like around…"

The innkeeper sighed heavily. "I wish," he answered. He picked himself up.

"Uh, what's that supposed to mean?"

"Well, I learned today that there are people out there who are worse than demons…" He checked to see that no one was eavesdropping. "Take a look at that woman over there." He pointed towards a woman sitting in the corner. Her short hair was a snowy white and her eyes were a cold blue. Her kimono was very revealing, with the top low and the split high, and on her lap was her trusty snake sword. "She and a few others came here a couple of days ago, asking for something called 'Soul Edge'. We told them we didn't know what they were talking about, so they've been searching around here ever since, saying that if they find it they'll kill us." He nervously took another look at Ivy. "I'm especially fearful of her finding it. I've already had a taste of what she can do…"

**Flashback!**

The innkeeper smiled brightly as Ivy walked in. "Welcome!" he greeted, "How may I help you?"

"I want the biggest room that you have," Ivy stated, her British accent heavy even in Japanese.

"Of course, madam," the innkeeper said, looking over some papers, "That'll be-"

Valentine lashed out and wrapped itself snugly around the poor man's neck. "I'm sorry," Ivy said slowly, "but I'm a bit low on your currency. Could you just let this one slide?" All he could do was nod. "And if I find out that you've been holding out on Soul Edge, I'll come back and finish the job."

**End Flashback!**

At first all they did was stare at Ivy. Soon, Miroku got up the courage to approach her. Kagome was about to stop him, but Taki grabbed her by the shoulder. "Let him go," she said, a smile forming.

Ivy watched him carefully as he came. "Hello, will you bear my child?"

_A/N: I'm going to intervene right here. While writing this, I asked myself, "What would Ivy most likely say?" I thought about it, and came to the conclusion that it was just as likely that she would say yes as she would say no. So, I'm creating two situations, and letting you, the reader, decide which one is most fitting._

_If Ivy said yes:_

Ivy smirked. "Well, I've gotten old, and I'm not sure if I can bear children anymore, but we can go through the motions and see what happens."

"MIROKU!" Inuyasha suddenly yelled, "I CAN SMELL HIM, LET'S GO!"

_Whoops, did I do that? Now, if Ivy said no:_

"No," Ivy said bluntly, "but there is something that I can bear you." Valentine transformed from a sword to a whip.

"Point taken," Miroku said and rejoined the group. Inuyasha was sniffing the air.

"He's close," he said, and left the inn, the others following. Taki stayed behind for a few moments. Ivy looked at her closely.

"Nice kimono, Taki," she said. Taki put a finger to her lips and left.

They followed Naraku's scent deep into the forest. They were about to give up and stop when they saw a figure in the shadows.

"There you are," Inuyasha said and ran up to the figure, only to see that it was…

"Oh. It's just you, Kagura."

"Just me?" Kagura was holding back her anger. "Well, I didn't come here to start fights. I just wanted to see if I could get this brat off of my hands." Out of the shadows came a second figure, much shorter than Kagura. When she came into the light, you could see her huge brown eyes and black hair. Her elbow blades were on hand.

"Hmph!" Talim interjected, suddenly getting cocky, "She's just mad because I beat her in a wind fight."

"I would've won if you hadn't cheated!"

"Soul Charge isn't cheating! I won fair and square."

"Whatever." Kagura turned her attention back to Inuyasha. "So can you rid me of this brat?"

Talim stepped forward. "My _name _is Talim, and I don't need to go with them. I can find Soul Edge by myself."

"Good," Inuyasha said, "Because we have enough problems to worry about."

"I am NOT a problem!" Talim whined.

"Of course not, brat," Kagura said in a falsely sweet tone, and got on her feather thing and flew away.

Talim looked up at Kagura triumphantly, and turned to leave. "Well friends, I take my leave now. Let the wind guide you."

"Wait!" Miroku went forward and took Talim's hand. "Will you bear my child?"

Talim looked completely shocked. "Y-you mean that babies don't come from the stork?"

Everyone gasped. "Babies don't come from the stork?" Shippo repeated, making his first vocalization in this fic.

"Oh my Kami," Miroku said.

Kagome looked as if she was about to burst from laughter. "Well, Miroku, it looks like you have to explain the facts of life."

"Do I have to?"

"You brought it up," Taki pointed out, "So now it's your responsibility to tell her."

"Tell me what?" Talim's eyes were wide with shock, if they could get any bigger.

Miroku sighed. "Come with me," he said, and they both went to another part of the forest.

"Um, let's stop here," Kagome suggested. Inuyasha didn't object. They all sat, being very exhausted, and listened to Talim's screams of surprise for the next three hours.

* * *

_Bada-bing bada-boom._


	5. Night Two

_Thanking everyone again for the reviews. _

_Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha or Soul Calibur II._

**Night Two**

Taki was sleeping peacefully. Although she was still tired from the all-nighter she pulled the other night, she waited until Miroku came back from his talk with Talim, because she was afraid of what he would do to "Sango" while she was sleeping. Now, she was sleeping peacefully, but it would be disturbed once more by the evil glow from Mekki-Maru.

Using as much stealth as she could, she snuck away from the sleeping group and tried to locate what was setting her blade off. After searching for quite a while with no luck, she was about to turn back. When she turned around, she saw out of the corner of her eye someone watching her. Not moving, she Soul Charged and made a ninja cannon, which she promptly threw at the figure. He hit the ground, and Mekki-Maru began burning furiously. As quickly as she had floored him, she had Rekki-Maru in hand and was holding it right to the person's neck. As her eyes adjusted to the darkness, she could finally see who it was: Mitsurugi, the last person she wanted to see here.

"You," she hissed, and put the blade closer to his neck. "Tell me what in blazes is going on here."

A small smile formed on Mitsurugi's face. "Look, it's my favorite person in the world. How are things?"

Taki was fuming. "This is not the time to be screwing around! I want answers!" She restrained the urge to choke the life out of him.

"Okay, okay, don't get so hostile." He sat up, and Taki let him, but still kept Rekki-Maru close to his neck. "We're all here. Anyone with a piece of Soul Edge was transported here, including Soul Edge itself. I don't know how, but it looks like we're stuck together once again."

Taki had about enough of his smart comments. She punched him in the face, feeling instantly better. He took the punch, and looked at her with the hate that hadn't shown but was there. "Give me your piece of Soul Edge," she ordered. He reluctantly obliged. She snatched it out of his hand and removed her blade from his neck. "Go, and pray that our paths do not cross again."

"But our paths will cross again," he answered, "And when they do, you will not be so lucky." He turned and walked away.

Taki watched him leave with scorn, then spit on the ground he defiled. She could feel the evil of Soul Edge in her hand. She sheathed Rekki-Maru and unsheathed Mekki-Maru. Slowly, carefully, unwillingly, she fused the two.

The result was incredibly hideous. It was growing a sickly looking skin, complete with veins and a potential eyeball, and it pulsated in her hand. She sheathed it quickly, suddenly frightened.

Taki came back to her starting point and almost hit the ground sleeping. Her sleep was not as peaceful as the first time.

* * *

_How'd you like it? Warning: Next chapter there will be a bit of OOCness. Review please._


	6. Day Three

_Thanks to my very rare reviewers. Reviews don't come easy for me so I appreciate every one. HEAR THAT? YOU ARE APPRECIATED! Okay, enough raving, here's the next chapter. _

_Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha or any of its characters or Soul Calibur II or any of its characters._

* * *

**Day Three**

After everyone woke up and ate, they took to wandering around in the forest. No one was the least suspicious to Taki's new night life, or the two daggers, one of which grew more demonic as the days passed, that she hid very well on her person. Kagome came very close, though:

"Sango, there's something different about you," she said quietly.

"How so?" Taki asked calmly, although feeling the pressure of a possible discovery.

"In your spirit," Kagome said, "it feels more evil than-" Kagome cut herself off and looked ahead of them. "Jewel shards," she whispered.

Inuyasha stopped right where he was. "What's that?" he asked pryingly, getting into their conversation.

"I said…" Kagome started, and then thought better of it. "Sit." CRASH! She stepped over him. "They're this way."

"It wasn't that big of a deal," Inuyasha mumbled as he got up, the spell wearing off.

Kagome cleared her throat loudly. Inuyasha got the point and dropped the subject.

They eventually had in their sights a boy sitting on a boulder with a small glowing fairy buzzing around him. The boy, dressed in odd-looking green clothes and a matching hat, was looking at the ground with boredom while the fairy was raving heatedly about their recent experiences. "I swear, if I hear 'is that a fairy? Is that a fairy?' one more time, I'll burst!" Navi began flitting around with irritation. "And those stupid kids, thinking they can pull on my wings. I'd like to pull on one of their limbs and see how they feel, you know what I mean, Link?"

"Eh?" was Link's apparent answer. He looked up after he saw a shadow on the ground.

Navi paused, confused. "Close enough." She continued her rant, oblivious to her new guests. "And another thing: What does it take for people to listen to you? I think I've yelled 'hey!' about a thousand times now. Yes, stupid, I'm talking to you…" Navi finally saw what Link saw and freaked. She put back on her sweet, innocent voice. "Hi, I'm Navi, this is Link. Have you heard of something called 'Soul Edge'?"

They all looked confused; Taki played along. "Um, no, but perhaps you've seen a demon pass through here?"

"Well…" Navi paused, "I haven't. How about you, Link?" Link nodded his head enthusiastically. "Ooh, he does!" Navi said. Link hopped off the boulder.

Inuyasha pushed himself ahead of the masses to stand in front of Link. He was considerably taller, so he had to look down on him. "Okay, kid, tell us where it went."

Link nodded again. He pointed due north. "Seyaah!" he practically screamed. Everyone looked at him like he was crazy, except Navi of course, who was floating next to his head serenely. "Seyaah!" he yelled again, still pointing. Taki was in the back, shaking her head. _Good luck getting a comprehensible word out of him,_ she thought to herself.

Inuyasha was already irritated. "What's that supposed to _mean_?"

"Hah!" Link answered matter-of-factly, "Hmm."

Kagome suddenly had an idea. "Do you play charades?" she asked.

"Auuaah!" Link said in affirmation. He put up two fingers.

"Okay, two words." Link nodded. He motioned towards the sky.

"Cloud?" Link shook his head. "Air?" That still wasn't it. "Blue? Bird? Fly? Cloud?" Link let his arms down, exasperated. He looked at them like they were idiots, then reached behind his back, pulling out his ocarina.

"Ocarina?" Shippo was still guessing.

"Shut up," Navi said bluntly. Shippo glared at the little feisty fairy. Link began to play the Song of Storms. The rain came down right on cue. They all looked up, amazed. Link smiled at his handiwork and equipped his bow and ice arrows. He shot at a tree. A piece of the bark froze and the path that the arrow took left small snowflakes on the ground, which promptly melted from the heat.

"Frozen tree?" Shippo tried again.

"Didn't I say to shut up?" Navi snapped. She now had a zero tolerance for kids.

"It's ice," Taki said, "If we go north we'll find an ice demon with the jewel shards." Link jumped up. "Seyaah!" He played the Sun's song, and the rain stopped. He looked towards Taki's direction with a newfound interest. Suddenly, he unsheathed the Master Sword and pointed it straight out. "Hah!" he screamed. Taki soon realized that he wasn't pointing at her, so she turned around to see Cervantes, standing with both of his blades in hand and looking very peeved.

"You," he drawled, pointing at Miroku. Miroku looked at him innocently. "You've been hitting on my daughter, haven't you?"

"Since when did you care?" Taki mumbled.

Kagome heard her. "Come again, Sango?"

Taki immediately started playing with her ponytail. "Um, I have something in my hair."

"Sir, I've hit on a lot of people's daughters. Could you be a little more specific?" Miroku said. Cervantes went on to fully describe Ivy. "Oh yeah, her," Miroku recalled hesitantly, "You don't have to worry. Nothing happened."

"Really," Cervantes said tiredly, "Well, I haven't had a fight in days, so I'll pretend that something did happen. INSOLENT FOOL! I'LL MAKE YOU PAY!" Cervantes went charging at him.

"Wind Tunnel!" And in less than five seconds, Cervantes was no more. All that was left was Soul Edge and Nirvana, abandoned on the ground.

After a while, Inuyasha spoke. "Well, if we've had our fun, can we get going?" A crash was heard in the distance. Maniacal laughing followed. "I've been waiting for this," Inuyasha said, unsheathing Tetsusaiga and running off with demon speed.

"Wait! You don't have to run so fast!" Kagome began taking pursuit, carrying Shippo. Miroku looked to Taki. "I'm coming," she said. Miroku turned and followed Kagome.

Taki and Kilala were left alone with Link, Navi, and the two blades. Taki picked up Soul Edge, which was looking at her intently. "Don't you eyeball me," she hissed, and the sword looked away. Gathering her bearings, she looked to Navi. "Is fairy-wary having a bad day?" she said mockingly.

"Peace, Taki, and thank your lucky stars I didn't snitch on you. I figured we had enough problems, right Link?"

"Uh-huh," Link said.

"And we'll be back for Soul Edge later," Navi added.

Taki scoffed. "Come if you dare." She removed her kimono and looked at herself in a puddle on the ground. "Sango was right; they are going to notice big time." She huffed. "But for the money, an actress I shall be." She looked to Kilala, who'd just transformed. "Let's go catch up." She mounted Kilala and they both took off.

Link and Navi watched them until they disappeared over the horizon. As soon as they did, Navi got in Link's face. "Link, you idiot, why didn't you speak their language?"

Link stared at Navi for a second. "Navi, I'm the _silent_ hero! I've got a reputation to look after, you know that."

"Well," Navi replied smartly, "your 'reputation' just wasted us a lot of time! Play the Song of…that-village-we-just-came-out-of." So Link played the Song of that-village-we-just-came-out-of and they were transported there.

Meanwhile, Inuyasha, Kagome, and Miroku finally happened upon the ice demon. Yet, they were not attacking it, but were staring blankly at it. The reason why was clear: the demon was wearing half of a shirt, really tight pants, and it appeared to have its nails polished and makeup on. However, it looked too muscular to be a female. All of them were pondering the demon's sex silently until Miroku elbowed Inuyasha.

"Go ask it of its gender," he whispered.

"No way! You ask it," Inuyasha whispered back.

"_I'm _not going to ask it…"

"Hey!" The demon finally spoke. It had a very bass voice. "Are you going to give me your jewel shards, or do I have to take them from you?"

Kagome covered her jewel shards with her hand. "I really hope that isn't a woman," she squeaked.

A roar was heard, and soon after, Taki and Kilala arrived at the scene. Taki jumped off of Kilala, gripping Hiraikotsu. "I'm here," she announced, staring at the bishoujo demon. Everyone looked at Taki and did a double take.

"What the-" Inuyasha stuttered.

"Uh, Sango?" Kagome said slowly.

"Ooh," Miroku said. No surprise there.

Shippo looked up at Taki, squinting. "Hey, Sango, there's something different about you. Uh, did you change your hair?"

"I want jewel…" the demon noticed Taki. "…shards?" We now know that the demon was male, because no female would stare so hard.

Taki saw her window of opportunity and took advantage. She sauntered up to the demon until they were almost nose to nose. It was painfully obvious that he was nervous; he would look in her eyes for a second and then back down to her chest, then back up again.

"Do you like what you see?" Taki said smoothly.

"Uhh…" was the demon's answer.

"That's what I thought." With lightning speed, she knocked the demon over the head with Hiraikotsu. The demon fell to the ground and got into the fetal position, covering his head. Taki continued slamming the demon in the head. "What kind of girly-man demon are you?"

"I'm in touch with my feminine side," he cried, "Is that a crime?" Taki stopped smashing the demon's head in to step back and look at the damage she caused him, an amused look on her face. The demon slowly peeked at her, the fear evident in his eyes, then was up on his feet quickly, laughing maniacally again.

"Big-busted woman! You should have finished me off when you had the chance! Now I will use my manipulative powers over ice and snow to destroy you all!"

"Manipulative?" Kagome repeated, "As in you can't make the ice yourself?"

"Is there a problem with that?" the demon said defensively.

"Feh, you're about as harmful as an underwater fire." Inuyasha was looking amused now. "It's spring. There's not a trace of snow or ice. There isn't even water for another mile!"

"Oh, well, I guess I have to do this the old fashioned way—with my bare hands."

"Wind Scar!" The demon dropped his stance and ran away, screaming in a high-pitched voice.

"Hey! He's getting away with the jewel shard!" Kagome said, already frustrated with this thing that called himself a demon.

"Not for long." Taki threw Hiraikotsu towards the demon. As he saw the giant boomerang heading towards him, the demon screamed even higher and tried to run faster, but to no avail. As soon as Hiraikotsu touched him, he spontaneously combusted. Hiraikotsu flew back into Taki's hands without a singe. Out of the debris, something flew into Kagome's hands: the jewel shard. She quickly put it with the other jewels.

"Okay, that was weird." She looked at Taki with newfound interest, as did everyone else. "Sango, is there something you're not telling us?"

Quite contradictory to her nature, Taki smiled sweetly. "No, what makes you ask that?"


	7. Night Three

_Reviewers are thanked again. I'd like to take this opportunity to remind you that NO CHARACTER IS SAFE, so don't complain if your favorite character gets bashed. Yes, there will be major bashing this chapter. Also, I'd like to apologize for last chapter for any confusion that I might have caused. That was adult Link, adult Link is on SCII, he is shorter than everyone. I look back at the chapter and think, "Yeah, maybe I did lead them on by saying 'boy' and 'kid'." So sorry! Also again, in Night Two I called something "energy bomb" when the correct term is "ninja cannon". Ok, enough kowtowing, here's the next chapter! I don't own Inuyasha or any of its characters or Soul Calibur II or any of its characters._

* * *

**Night Three**

A good neighbor decided to let our heroes spend the night at their residence. Taki told them that she wasn't tired and went outside to wait on the two that she knew were after her. After staring at the stars for about an hour, she finally saw them coming from the horizon. Mekki-Maru was not reacting, so they carried no pieces of Soul Edge. This battle was going to be pointless.

Mina and Yunsung stopped when they saw Taki. They observed that she wasn't dressed like someone else, or wielding an enormous boomerang, like they'd heard. Nonetheless, they knew it was the truth because her location was exactly as they were told it was.

Mina looked at her in a sort of disbelief. "Well, Taki, or whatever you're calling yourself these days, you know why we're here."

Taki was about to answer when Yunsung cut her off. "Just hand over your pieces of Soul Edge and I won't utterly ruin your life with my greatness!" He puffed out his chest in blown up pride.

Taki despised Yunsung's attitude, and she would let him know that in a second. "Do it then," Taki said coldly, "Ruin my life."

Yunsung suddenly looked nervous. "Mina?" he said, backing up.

Mina sucked her teeth. "Come on, crybaby, we'll fight her together." She took Scarlet Thunder and pointed it at Taki.

"Yes!" Yunsung said excitedly, pointing White Storm at Taki, "Our combined greatness will be no match for her!"

Taki sighed in exasperation and unsheathed both Rekki-Maru and Mekki-Maru. She didn't usually fight with both daggers, but for Yunsung, she would make an exception.

Yunsung saw Mekki-Maru in its present condition and lost his wits. "Ugh!" he interjected, almost tripping over himself trying to back away. "I-I can't fight you when what you use can look back at me!" He turned and ran like the snide little coward he was (A/N: Can you tell I don't like him?).

Taki smiled and sheathed Mekki-Maru again, facing Mina. "Good. Now it's just one brat."

Mina squinted in anger and charged at her. Details will be left out, because they are unnecessary. When Taki, with high speed and a good amount of power, is put against Seung Mina, who has a lot of power but can hardly hit her target, the conclusion is clear: Mina got the snot beat out of her.

Mina lay on the ground badly bruised and beaten. Taki stood over her, smirking. "Take your sissy guy friend and get out of here." Mina hoisted herself up with the help of Scarlet Thunder and limped away. Satisfied, Taki sheathed Rekki-Maru and went back towards the house they were staying in.

Miroku was awake when Taki came back. After she arrived, he drifted off to sleep, thinking about the battle he'd just witnessed.

* * *

**How's Sango doing?**

Sango was lying on the sands of the beach, enjoying the bright tropical sun and wondering what she would be doing if she were still with the group. _Probably out fighting some wacky demon with a jewel shard, _she thought, chuckling to herself.

Mike and some other person saw Sango and stopped. "Sango, fancy seeing you here. There's someone I want you to meet." He motioned to the person next to him. Sango looked and almost choked on the air she was breathing. The person looked like a female version of Inuyasha. "This is my wife, Irene," Mike announced. Sango stood still, silently beholding this sight until she couldn't take it anymore. She burst out laughing. She tried to spit out that it was nice to meet her in between laughs, but even trying to speak made her laugh some more.

Irene looked on Sango with scorn and whispered to Mike in a gruff voice, "What the heck is _her _problem?" Listening to Irene speak made her laugh even more. Sango was rolling around on the sand for half an hour, laughing like a maniac.

* * *

_Sooo…did Miroku catch Taki in the act? Is Sango's plan ruined, or was it possibly a completely different matter? Find out next time! Oh yeah, sorry for taking so long to update, I was being really lazy. Review please._


	8. Day Four and Night Four

_I'm so sorry that I took so long to update. Spring break's been so hectic! This has also been a difficult chapter to write; you'll see what I mean._

* * *

**Day Four**

After bidding their patron farewell, the gang headed to the nearest village. Inuyasha, Kagome, and Shippo were well in front with Miroku and Taki lagging behind from sleep deprivation. They carried on a hushed conversation.

"What time did you come back inside?" Miroku asked.

"Around 2," Taki answered.

"That's strange. Around the same time, I saw a few people get in a scuffle. One of them looked exactly like you." He looked over at Taki. "Why do you look so surprised?"

A thousand and one curses went through Taki's head. "Because, well, I saw the same fight."

"Really…" The tiniest bit of sarcasm was heard in his voice.

"Yes, I saw the woman you were talking about right after the fight."

"Didn't you come inside _right after the fight_?"

_Shit!_ Taki thought heatedly. "We didn't speak or anything, I just saw her."

"Right, Sango." Miroku was apparently tired of playing games. He stopped and looked dead at her. "What's really going on?"

Taki stopped too, looking as confused and puzzled as she could. "What do you-" She felt a searing pain on her right thigh. She yelped and grabbed her leg, wincing a bit. She'd hidden Mekki-Maru on her right thigh, and now it was reacting so fiercely that it burned Taki's skin. There were _multiple_ Soul Edge pieces near.

"Um…" Miroku was deciding if she was bluffing or not. Well, it looked real enough. "Are you okay?"

"Yes," Taki answered quickly, straightening up and hiding the fading pain. Up ahead, Kagome had also stopped and was looking all around her. "Jewel shards," she said in a peculiar disbelief, "Lots and lots of jewel shards."

"Jackpot!" Inuyasha replied instantly, and took off, carrying Kagome. Taki's puzzlement was now genuine; it was a big coincidence for many Soul Edge pieces and many Shikon jewel shards to be in the same area, let alone in such large quantities. She didn't have time to ponder it. She and Miroku got on Kilala and went to catch up with everyone else, except Shippo, who got left behind:

"Hey! This is the third time this week! Come back!" (A/N: Just joking, ya'll! He bummed a ride…somewhere…)

The vicinity of the sacred objects was a very large and populous town. People were packed on the street, walking very quickly and oblivious to everything else. One small group stuck out of the crowd. There were three of them; one man was carrying a long stick and wearing a red tattered robe, the girl was wielding a thin sword and wearing a black outfit that was way too small, and the last man was the stranger-looking one, with blonde hair done in an outdated style and a faraway look in his eyes. They were currently bragging about their "new" form of currency:

"I don't even know what the real form of currency is around here," Kilik said, "and quite frankly I don't care. We just give these peons a few of these shiny things and we get whatever we want!" He opened his hand to reveal about seven jewel shards. "I've even gotten a piece of Soul Edge with one of these babies!"

Xianghua giggled with that high-pitched, bubbly, go-out-and-hang-yourself voice of hers. "Yeah, they're a bunch of fools, huh?" She started up again but stopped in mid-giggle when she felt someone take her hand. It was none other than…

"Hello, will you bear my child?"

Xianghua blinked a few times, and then started giggling again. "Sorry, buddy, but I'm barren. It's a funny story, too! See, I was running around the castle looking for No-Name, but what I didn't know was that it was stuck point-up in the floor, so when I tripped, it-" A team of horses come racing by. Everyone within earshot gasped. Xianghua continued. "And then I…"

"Oh!" was the common reply. A woman fainted. People became wide-eyed and began moving away. Kilik jabbed Xianghua with Kali-Yuga and whispered sharply, "What did I tell you about telling _that story_?"

Kagome stepped forward. "You know, I've been hearing a lot about this 'Soul Edge' lately. Would you mind explaining it to us?"

"Ooh!" Xianghua squealed, clapping her hands together, "Story time!" She grabbed Maxi by the arm. "Maxi, it's story time!"

Maxi just stared blankly. After a few moments he uttered, "Where am I? Who are you? Who am I?"

Everyone sat down in a circle like in kindergarten, even Inuyasha, after asking and begging and threats. Xianghua began. "So in the beginning, there were two swords: Soul Edge and Soul Calibur…"

"Excuse me," Taki said, standing up.

"But Sango, don't you wanna hear the story?"

Taki smiled. "It's okay. I think I heard this one before." She went towards the trees. In that interesting meeting, Taki made a calculation of the number of Soul Edge pieces. Kilik had around three, Maxi had two, and Xianghua also had three. Even if it meant getting caught, she couldn't afford to pass up all of those pieces. Sango would have to go AWOL for a spell. After making sure that she was completely alone, she threw down a ninja cannon, and in the flash she was "Taki" again. She re-entered the town and began jumping roofs. When she caught sight of Xianghua, who'd apparently gotten off-track of her story, she began her offensive attack, diving straight into the middle of the circle, doing that high-pitched primal scream.

Everyone immediately scattered and got a hold of their weapons…yes, even Maxi. Taki eyeballed the three with her prize. "You," she said, pointing Rekki-Maru at them, "Give me Soul Edge and you may leave with your lives."

"Hey!" Kagome said from behind her, "You can't-"

"Stay out of this, girl," Taki hissed, not turning around or even moving.

Xianghua finally became serious. "You'll have to take them from us, Taki." Kilik nodded in affirmation.

Taki smirked. "That's not a problem at all."

Maxi, however, let his guard down, if only for a moment. "Haven't I seen you before?" he asked, sounding more confused than ever. With extreme speed she knocked Maxi to the ground and held Rekki-Maru at his throat. She used her free hand to search his person for Soul Edge. After finding them, she beckoned to Kilik and Xianghua.

Xianghua began running, but stopped when she got within 5 feet of Taki. "Just kidding!" she said with a wink and knelt down. Kilik came flying over her and swung at Taki. She was quick enough to block and take a stab at Kilik, who barely missed her blade. The both of them carried on with near-misses.

Shippo stared at the fight, very confused. "Shouldn't we, like, help or something?"

"I don't know," came Inuyasha's reply, "If we just asked, I think they'd give us the jewel shards."

Kagome looked around. "It's strange that Sango left right before this started…"

"Isn't it?" Miroku looked in the direction that "Sango" went. "I'm going to look for her."

Taki finally took Kilik out by faking a stab and kicking him right in the chin. His head was thrown back and he hit the ground hard. She confiscated his pieces of Soul Edge and looked at Xianghua. "Your turn," she said. She took that moment in time to notice that Miroku had gone after Sango, just as she'd expected. She hoped her plan would get him off of her back…

Miroku followed Taki's steps exactly, which led him to the woods. He didn't have to search far before he found Hiraikotsu leaning against a tree, and a figure on the other side of it. The only thing visible was her hair and a sleeve of her kimono. "Sango?" he started, taking a step forward.

"Stay where you are," was the reply.

Miroku stopped, confused. "Okay…what's wrong?"

"Nothing. I was feeling tired and it was quiet here."

"Is your leg still bothering you?"

"Just a little. It's nothing to worry about."

"Well, aren't you coming back?"

"In a moment. Go ahead without me, I'll meet you shortly."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, yes." Her hand went up and waved the question off. "Just leave me here a little longer."

"If you're sure." He turned and left. When the jangling off his staff could no longer be heard, the girl, dressed in Sango's kimono, jumped up and almost tripped because the kimono was too big. Snickering, she went up to Hiraikotsu. It was blocking the view of a bag of gold, surrounded by a green glow. After a few seconds, the glow stopped and the bag fell out of the tree and into the girl's hands. She threw it up in the air and caught it. "Yes. I'm eating something other than ants tonight!"

Taki and Xianghua were still fighting. Neither had landed a blow until Taki used Mekki-Maru and floored her. She knelt to search her for Soul Edge when Xianghua struck her right in the leg. "Just kidding!" she cried triumphantly.

"Argh!" Taki grabbed her leg. There was no blood, because everybody knows that Soul Calibur characters don't bleed. "You little hag!"

Xianghua stood up and dusted herself off. "Better luck next t-" There was a flash of light, and soon after Xianghua was truly unconscious on the ground.

"It isn't over until you can't fight anymore," Taki spat. The three knocked out fighters surrounded her, and she was now in possession of eight more pieces of Soul Edge. She looked at the bystanders, who were looking right back at her. "Are you going to try and stop me?"

Silence met her. "Um, isn't that a demonic blade?" someone asked.

Taki unsheathed Mekki-Maru. "It is."

"Then what are you doing with it?" Shippo asked nosily.

"It's my blade," Taki retorted.

"Aren't you a demon slayer?"

"Yes, how did you-"

"So why do you still have that?"

"Because, foolish child, you can't kill a sword, and if I destroy the demon that possesses it, then it won't be demonic anymore. My Kami, how much did Xianghua tell you?"

"Enough." Miroku began to remove the rosary. "Soul Edge is much too powerful for me to allow existing." He released the Wind Tunnel. Taki, immediately recognizing the danger, bounded out of the way. Mekki-Maru, however, slid out of its sheath and headed into the vortex. When it came about a foot away from being swallowed up, Miroku quickly drew his hand back, and the blade fell to the ground with a subtle _clank._

Taki landed back on the ground and snatched Mekki-Maru back up. After sheathing it, she turned her back on the others. "It burned, didn't it?" she asked. Miroku gave no answer. Taki chuckled. "Soul Edge is too strong right now, but I will make sure of its obliteration." She turned her head to the side to take one last glance at them. "I suggest you stick to one goal." She took a few steps and began jumping roofs again.

"She's right, you know," Kagome commented as they all watched Taki go. "We need to handle our own problems first before trying to solve everyone else's." She knelt down and searched for the jewel shards that Kilik dropped. "Here," she said as she found all seven and put them in her jar, "we can get out of this crazy town now."

"Hey," Taki came back with Sango's clothes on again, "What's going-" She was interrupted by their quick rushing past her.

"No time to talk, you don't know what's going to happen in this crazy place!"

* * *

_Oh my gosh ya'll! This is a record-breaking chapter! This is the most I've ever written for just one chapter, and it's the most number of SCII characters I've used in this story. This took an unusually long time for me to write, so make it worth my while and review. And while you're at it, review the next chapter in my _**2-for-1 special!**

**Night Four**

For the first time all week, Taki slept. That's right, slept with no interruptions or disturbances. The end for now.

_Well, I had to give her a break sometime…_


	9. Day Five

_Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha or any of its characters or Soul Calibur II or any of its characters._

**Day Five**

Everyone was sitting under a big tree, on a blanket, eating "lunch from the future". They were all just trying to relax, but Shippo was still psyched from what happened yesterday.

"I can't believe you missed it!" he practically shouted in Taki's face. He then started a big charade of how it went down, complete with commentary. "The girl was like, whoosh! And the other people were like, whoa! And she was like, give it! And they were like, no! And then, bam, bam, pow!" He was on his back now, with a goofy smile on his face. "You really missed it."

Kagome set down her chopsticks and sighed. "Right before she left, she told us we needed to stick to one goal, and I think she's right. We've been trying to do too many things at once. From now on, the jewel shards come first." Everyone stopped what they were doing to stare at Kagome. Kagome sweatdropped.

"Oh, so I guess we just forget about Naraku?" Inuyasha said matter-of-factly.

Kagome frowned. "N-no, Naraku is still a threat, but we still need to prioritize."

"Prioritize?" Miroku repeated. He held up his hand. "Hellooo? I'm dying here!"

"It's because of Naraku that Kikyo took away 50 (a few expletives here) YEARS OF MY LIFE!"

Cautiously, Shippo piped up, "Let's not forget Kohaku." Taki wasn't going to say anything, because she knew that would just enhance the problem.

"Guys! I was just trying to help…" a distressed Kagome squeaked.

"HELP?" everyone except Kagome and Taki screamed. A huge uproar ensued, with yelling, flailing of arms, and Shippo getting knocked unconscious. Taki finally had enough. "Stop!" she screamed in that super high-pitched voice she can have. They all froze and looked at her. She was beginning to turn red from anger. "Now, I wouldn't know, since I didn't actually hear her, but _maybe_ you're throwing this a little out of context. _Maybe_ she meant to stop spreading yourself out so much, to stop trying to solve everyone else's problems, to do one thing at a time." She huffed. If she knew that her advice would start arguments, then she wouldn't have told them in the first place.

"Yeah, I guess you're right." The calm came back and they continued eating.

After about an hour of walking, the trail ended with a small, quaint village. This small, quaint village also just happened to be burning to the ground and being hacked with a huge ax. Taki slapped her forehead. She knew only two people with huge axes, and Berserker was too freaking stupid to do something like this. That meant one thing…

"Die, you piece of mummified scum!" Astaroth didn't have a lot of patience anyway, but fighting Voldo just made it worse.

Voldo hissed in reply. He hadn't landed a blow yet, but neither had Astaroth. These two had been fighting for hours. The village miko saw it coming as soon as they came and managed to evacuate everyone. After that, all hell broke loose.

"We should go," Kagome suggested.

"There's nowhere _to_ go but through here or up. We can't go around because the forest is overgrown here, and going up is a bad idea since there's a thunderstorm coming." Miroku was right; clouds were looming right above them.

The clash of metal against metal brought them back to reality again. "Stop holding out on me, worthless maggot!" Astaroth bellowed. Voldo hissed what sounded like a negative response. "Liar!" Astaroth yelled, and swung his ax. Voldo easily evaded, making the ax crash into a burning house. Pieces of burning wood came flying at them, which Voldo slithered away from. Astaroth got hit by one, but he didn't feel it because he's already dead. Go figure.

When a piece of burning debris landed really close to Inuyasha, he decided it was time to intervene. "Let's get this over with," he said with exasperation, unsheathing Tetsusaiga.

"The one without a face creeps me out," Kagome said warily. The fire on the debris was barely more than an ember now. Taki spat on it and put it out. "I've seen the bigger one around before, he's a pushover," she explained, "I can deal with him."

"Guess that leaves me with snake boy." Inuyasha began approaching Voldo.

"I'll…go…with you…" Miroku hesitantly volunteered. Kagome opted to stay out of this one, along with Shippo.

Astaroth was about to swing at Voldo one more time when Hiraikotsu flew into the building beside him, coming just inches away from his face. He didn't flinch when burning splinters seared his face, only glared with all white eyes at Taki. Voldo saw his window of opportunity and curled into a peculiar ball and rolled off—right into Inuyasha.

"What do you want, worm?" Astaroth spat.

Taki yanked Hiraikotsu out of the burning building before it began to burn itself. "I could ask you the same question. Soul Edge isn't here."

"You're worthless _and _stupid!" He took a swipe at Taki, who responded by jumping on the flat part of his ax. During his follow-through, she clonked him with Hiraikotsu. He stumbled while she leapt off of the ax. Shaking his rattled head, he continued. "That nasty little beast has one, and I'll squash him like a bug to get it!"

"He doesn't have it," Taki said evenly, "He came here to get it, just like you, only to find it already taken." Mekki-Maru was sizzling again. She closed her eyes for a moment to phase out the pain. "Nightmare has that piece."

Astaroth paused, letting that all sink into his thick skull. "Even if that is true, I can still obliterate that-"

"Not today." With a crushing blow, Astaroth was out of the picture. Of course he wasn't dead, because…well, you know.

Backtracking to when Voldo bumped into Inuyasha…

"What do you think you're doing?" Inuyasha demanded. Voldo uncurled himself and began hissing.

"Is that supposed to be an answer?" Miroku asked. Voldo turned his attention to Miroku for the first time. He made this low hiss in the back of his throat and started moving and bending in weird ways. Miroku shrank back. "Are you coming on to me?" he asked, shocked and confused at the same time. There was no answer. "Hey! I don't roll that way!" he proclaimed.

"Man…" Inuyasha groaned, "I don't want him to touch my sword. Can't you just suck him up in the-"

"No way," Miroku said immediately, "I can't stand the thought of him being _in my hand._"

"Well, we've gotta do something." They both looked at him with uncertainty. Voldo was inching closer to Miroku, with Miroku trying to inch away. After he got about a foot away, Miroku couldn't take anymore. "Get away!" he cried, swinging his staff. Luckily for him, the staff clocked Voldo in the temple. He dropped like a sack of potatoes. Inuyasha and Miroku exchanged glances. They didn't know if he was dead, and frankly, they didn't care. "Works for me," Inuyasha said, and both of them took off to regroup.

Kagome, Shippo, and Taki were already together, waiting for them. "It was some demon who did this," Kagome commented. Taki nodded. _Yeah, _she thought, _some demon and some human…_

"He's not far," Inuyasha said after sniffing the air. "The fire's died down, so that's one less thing to worry about. My guess is if we stay here for the night, we could catch up with him in the morning." There was a mumbled affirmative as the rain began to pour. Just wonderful. Now they had two decisions: Take shelter under a tree and risk getting struck by lightning, or sleep uncovered and get drenched. They all stood there, staring at the clouds as the rain slowly put out the fire. As soon as it did, it stopped, and the clouds cleared to reveal the moon.

"How…" Shippo started, "h-how did…"

"One shouldn't question these things," Taki said, and with that, they all gathered under the nearest tree.

* * *

_Alright, guys, this is where it all starts to wrap up. As soon as we get to Day Six, it becomes just about all cliffhangers at the ends. Sango should be back by Day Seven, so they might find out, but just maybe._


	10. Night Five

_Here's round two! _

_Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha or any of its characters or Soul Calibur II or any of its characters._

**Night Five**

Taki couldn't sleep that night. The thought of finally retrieving the last piece of Soul Edge from Nightmare and destroying the demonic sword kept her up. She simply lay under the tree, her eyes open and watching the surrounding forests and the ashen village. From the ashes, two figures moved purposefully. Taki took a second glance; it was highly unlikely that someone was there. Yet it was true. From the looks of it, it was two girls. With the stealth that only a ninja could have, she crept over to the village ruins until she could see them clearly. It was none other than the Alexandra sisters, looking for that one piece of Soul Edge.

"You said it was here," Cassandra said with a bit of a whine as she stepped carefully over a few planks.

"I thought it was," Sophitia answered, "Or rather, this is where it's supposed to be…"

Cassandra stopped abruptly. "You mean to tell me that this was all a wild goose chase! Oh come on!" she interjected, kicking at a rock.

Sophitia swung around to face her sister. "You know I wouldn't do this on purpose! My children are dying!"

"I'm doing this out of the goodness of my heart! The least you can do is get your facts straight!" They both glared and shifted their shields higher on their arms. Taki finally decided to intervene. "Nightmare got here before you," she said, removing herself from the shadows. Their heads turned. Cassandra's haughty level shot through the roof while Sophitia's curiosity got the better of her.

"Taki! Perfect, I've been itching for a fight all day!" Cassandra was about to rush Taki when Sophitia grabbed her by the collar. "Let me go!" Cassandra growled. Sophitia held her tighter. "How do you know that?" Sophitia asked.

Taki straightened up. "Soul Edge can sense itself." Cassandra finally freed herself and positioned herself right in front of Taki. "So you've got a couple of pieces, huh?" Taki had to control herself from laughing in the girl's face. _A couple of pieces. Ha. _"How about a little wager, then?" Cassandra continued. "All or nothing."

"What do you think I am, stupid? I know that neither of you have any pieces of Soul Edge."

Sophitia and Cassandra exchanged glances, then Sophitia spoke. "We can give you something of equal value. If you win, we'll stop looking for Soul Edge." Cassandra started, then nodded an affirmative. She was too cocky to think of the prospect of losing. "And if we win, we get every piece of Soul Edge you've got."

Taki assessed the situation. Cassandra wasn't exactly powerful but very quick like her. Sophitia gave new meaning to the words "looks are deceiving." In the end, she decided that both of them didn't stand a chance. "Fine. Let's go," she said, taking her fighter's stance.

Cassandra quickly started her attack. She struck with both sword and shield and a kick here and there, seemingly not giving herself enough time to think her moves through. But when Taki would try to go on the offense, Cassandra would block and counter just as quickly. Taki could efficiently defend herself, but she was steadily getting more annoyed because of how Cassandra would taunt her endlessly during the fight. It wasn't like it had never been done, even she did it, but when Cassandra did it, it was just _annoying._ Taki finally saw Cassandra hesitate and seized the opportunity. She roundhouse-kicked her right in her stomach. Cassandra flew a few yards and slid on the blackened ground. Without a moment's hesitation she took Rekki-Maru and lunged at Cassandra's throat. Cassandra threw her hands up and quickly yelled, "I give!" Taki froze; she was standing over her, Rekki-Maru just inches away from her neck. Cassandra had her eyes squeezed shut. Deciding that she didn't want to dirty her hands, she turned wordlessly to Sophitia and beckoned her.

Sophitia answered the call with a running drop kick. Taki bent over backwards to evade it, then got up and struck—with Mekki-Maru. Sophitia blocked with her shield, but upon seeing the condition of the dagger, shoved Taki off. Taki stumbled a bit, which apparently plucked one of Sophitia's many heartstrings. "Sorry!" she blurted out. Taki recovered and faced Sophitia. "Don't be," she answered, and hit her with an unexpected ninja cannon.

Taki brushed her clothes off and stood above Cassandra and Sophitia. Cassandra was sitting up, her face red with anger and her hands clawing at the dirt. She was covered in soot. Sophitia was still seeing stars. "I win," Taki said in a monotone voice, "But don't fret! When I finally destroy Soul Edge, you won't have to worry about your children anymore." She dropped another ninja cannon, and with a flash she was out of sight.

* * *

_I really liked this chapter! The Alexandra sisters are easy to write about._

_Review!_


	11. Day Six

_This is when it all wraps up! Okay, so in reviews, I got some…viewpoints…on this chapter's fight. Well, I'm going to try my hardest to fulfill your request, but just remember that I said no character is safe._

_Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha or any of its characters or Soul Calibur II or any of its characters._

* * *

**Day Six**

Inuyasha sighed after the…fifth? Sixth? He'd lost count of how many times they'd circumnavigated this village but the little patience he had was dwindling even more. "Are you sure it's here?" he asked again.

"Yes I'm sure," Kagome answered without looking at him.

"Would you quit asking that?" Shippo said, irritated.

"Would you mind your own business?" Inuyasha shot back.

"Cut it out," Miroku said, preventing a bigger fight. His attention was caught by a man standing off to the side, eyeing what looked like a sword stuck in the ground. He had very long blonde hair and full body armor minus the helmet. His right arm didn't look so good, which many have been putting it mildly. "Hey," Miroku said, nodding towards the man, "Have we passed him before?"

The man apparently knew that he was being talked of, and took a glance at the group. He made a small wave with his _good _hand. "Hello there," he called, eerily cheerful. _"Don't say that again. They might think you're actually friendly," _a voice that only the man could hear spoke.

"Hi," Kagome said, slowly approaching him, "Have you seen any demons or the like around here?"

There was a quick unreadable flash in the man's eyes. _"Shit! They're onto us!"_

"No…" he said slowly, "I haven't. Maybe you should ask someone else-"

Kagome cut him off. "What's your name?" Taki's eyes lit up with delayed recognition.

"Night- uh, Siegfried," he fumbled. _"Watch it," the voice said, "Or I'll take over."_ Siegfried shot a worried look at the sword.

Inuyasha noticed the sword and pointed at it. "Is that yours?" he asked.

"Uhm…uh…" Siegfried faltered, and then doubled over as if he'd been punched in the stomach. Kagome began to back away. After a few seconds of just standing there, Siegfried looked up from his crumpled state with glowing red eyes and said, _"Why? Looking for a fight?"_ As soon as it had happened, it was over, and when "Siegfried" came to, he quickly realized what was about to happen next.

"And what if I am?" Inuyasha growled, unsheathing Tetsusaiga.

Siegfried began waving his hands in desperation. "No! Is a mistake! Is a mistake!" he cried, his accent getting very heavy. _"Shut up, bitch! That stupid accent makes me sick! Now fight him!"_

"What am I supposed to do?" Siegfried said aloud, pulling the one speaking to him out of the ground. Soul Edge rolled its eye every which-way to look at its surroundings. "Eww," Kagome said in childlike disgust. Taki's hand twitched; just looking at it made her want to gouge that repulsive eye out.

"Mistake, huh?" Inuyasha mocked, and charged.

"What am I supposed to do?" Siegfried repeated, sounding more irritated than afraid. _"Do something, fool!" Soul Edge yelled._

"What?" he said, a little louder. Inuyasha was getting closer.

"_Who_ are you talkin' to?" Inuyasha demanded, sounding a bit irritated himself. He jumped into the air for a flying attack.

_"Look, motherfucker, if you don't raise your sword right now…" _As Inuyasha made descent, Siegfried quickly obliged, and their two swords clashed with the sound of metal on metal. After a small stalemate, Inuyasha pulled away and struck again. Siegfried blocked again, still determined not to fight.

"We don't have to do this…" he started. _"Shut the hell up!" rang inside of his head._ "We can forget this happened and move on with our lives…"

"Feh," was Inuyasha's reply, along with another swing of Tetsusaiga. Siegfried barely evaded it. _"Quit acting like a stupid-ass pansy!"_

"Hey," Siegfried tried as a last resort, "I'll even help you find that _demon _you're seeking!"

_"…What the fuck did you just say?"_

Inuyasha didn't catch that last part. He was too busy preparing for his ultimate attack. "Backlash Wave!" The flash of light hit Siegfried dead-on. He fell on his back to the ground and just lay there, eyes open, with Soul Edge at his side, glaring at him.

_"You were going to sell me out," Soul Edge growled, stating the obvious. "Well, your turn's over, human. I'm playing the field now."_ Siegfried took hold of Soul Edge's hilt and sat up. He was a new being.

"There's your demon," Kagome and Taki said at the same time. Kagome turned to look at Taki with wide eyes. "What?" Taki said, "It was obvious."

_"I am Nightmare," the possessed hissed, picking himself up smoothly. "Ready for round 2?"_

Taki sensed something amiss. "Wait a second," she warned Inuyasha, who was baring fangs.

"Too late," Miroku informed her as Inuyasha went for the second charge. Their swords clashed again, but this time Soul Edge began to glow a bright yellow. Soul Edge cackled inside of Nightmare's head, and Nightmare echoed it. Inuyasha tried to pull away, but Tetsusaiga was "stuck" on Soul Edge.

"Oh, Kami," Taki breathed. _Soul Edge was trying to complete itself…and if it succeeded…_She immediately and stealthily left the scene.

_"You don't have any pieces of Soul Edge," Nightmare observed at the wrong time._

Inuyasha scowled. "What would I want with a broken useless sword?" he spat, still trying to free himself.

Nightmare huffed, still keeping a frightening countenance. _"No matter," he said, releasing Tetsusaiga, "When I'm finished with you, the rest of me will come easily."_

"Don't get your hopes up," Inuyasha said, striking again, only to get thrown against a tree. The impact resounded through the whole area.

"Ooh," Kagome, Miroku, and Shippo breathed. Taki took this opportunity to appear in her ninja attire, the fire apparent in her eyes. Nightmare noticed her quickly, he and Soul Edge turning their eyes to her. _"There you are, love," Nightmare cooed._ Taki started, then realized with immense relief that he was talking to her demon dagger. "You can't win, demon," Taki challenged, having to restrain herself from screaming at him.

_"Let me be the judge of that."_ Soul Edge glowed again, and Taki was dragged by Rekki-Maru towards it. She tried her best to dig her heel in the ground to slow or stop the journey, but to no avail. Rekki-Maru made contact, "stuck" just as Tetsusaiga was. Taki didn't try to remove it; she had to keep Mekki-Maru away…

_"You can't keep it from me," Nightmare hissed, and Mekki-Maru flew out of its sheath. Taki _grabbed it before it could go anywhere. Unfortunately, she could only grab it with her left hand, her right hand still gripping Rekki-Maru. If there was one thing she wasn't, it was ambidextrous. She didn't know how long she could keep this up.

Inuyasha got up with a groan, and looked to the horizon. The sun was setting. "Have we really been doing this all day?" he asked himself.

"Taki!" Kagome called, "Where's Sango?"

"She's coming," Taki answered, putting all of her strength into the task at hand. Suddenly, she saw something horrible. The seams to her fusions were breaking; Mekki-Maru and Soul Edge were separating. She watched in horror as each piece in turn made Soul Edge more whole until the last piece joined…

Everyone hit the ground, even Nightmare. Soul Edge was in the midst of them, finally completed. _"Now all I need is a little more time…"_

Taki jumped back up and rushed towards the sword. Time was running out. Before she was close enough to do any damage, a figure leaped from out of the trees and in front of Taki, samurai sword drawn.

"No," Mitsurugi said, "The Sword of Power is mine."

Taki resisted the urge to let down her guard. "Perfect timing, dumb-ass." She spun Rekki-Maru in her hand.

Kagome slowly sat up, holding her head. "Do you really have to do this right now?" she asked seriously.

"Yes," Taki answered, "It is our destiny."

* * *

_Forgive the destined battle pun._

_…_

_Well anyway, this chapter took a really really long time, so APPRECIATE IT! And to my people mentioned earlier: are you satisfied? I couldn't really let him actually win, because that would freeze the plot, so I reached a happy medium just for you!_


	12. Night Six

_I have come out of hiding!_

_Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha, Soul Calibur II, or any of its characters. Wow, I haven't said that in a while…_

* * *

**Night Six**

Kagome slowly sat up, holding her head. "Do you really have to do this right now?" she asked seriously.

"Yes," Taki answered, "It is our destiny." She pointed Rekki-Maru at Mitsurugi, her face deathly serious. "I'll get rid of you quickly so that I can return to my real problems." Behind her, Soul Edge was floating above Siegfried's unconscious body, growing more and more flesh every minute.

"You don't deserve the Sword of Power!" Mitsurugi shot back in a defensive, almost whiny voice. Apparently, he also believed in not wasting time, because he charged full speed at her right after saying this.

Taki hardly had to move to knock the sword out of his hand while at the same time flipping him onto his back, then pointing her dagger at his throat. "Now," she continued slowly, "should I finish this, or will you commit honorable suicide and do the whole world a favor?"

Mitsurugi's answer was a strong kick to the gut that sent Taki flying. She recovered with a back handspring while Mitsurugi jumped back onto his feet. With about eight feet in between them, they commenced staring each other down. The moon was only a sliver in the sky, so the only light was the eerie glow from Soul Edge. Their eyes reflected the light, magnifying the spiteful looks.

Meanwhile, Inuyasha finally recovered from the last attack. He was disoriented at first, looking around like a lost child. When he laid eyes on Soul Edge, he regained his mission and grabbed for Tetsusaiga. Kagome silently acknowledged this until he got on his feet. "Stop," she called before Inuyasha could run off. He flinched at Kagome's voice as if it were fingernails dragging down a chalkboard.

"What? Why!" Inuyasha demanded, the anger apparent in his eyes.

Without looking at him, Kagome pointed to Soul Edge. "See that glow it's giving off? That's a barrier, and a pretty powerful one. I don't think you'll be able to go anywhere near it for a while…" Inuyasha let out a low growl. "…But," she continued, "The barrier seems to be deteriorating over time. It should be gone soon…" A smirk appeared. "But…" Inuyasha huffed with exasperation. "But, while in that barrier, the sword is increasing its power." Inuyasha simply tightened his grip on Tetsusaiga. "I'm not worried about that," he said, looking at Siegfried, "What's a sword without his swordsman? As long as you don't get kidnapped, we should be finished with this in no time."

Kagome took immediate offense to his last comment. "I do _not_ always get kidnapped!" she protested.

"Yes you do," Miroku said from behind her.

"And where did you come from?" she snapped. The answer was interrupted by the clashing of metal against metal. The two warriors were at it again.

Meanwhile, Soul Edge finally succeeded in growing a layer of flesh that covered its entire being, along with a couple more eyes. Its one mobile eye was ugly, bloodshot, and continuously viewing its new surroundings. While the barrier melted away, Soul Edge laughed a triumphant, soundless laugh in light of his victory. _At last, I am one with myself again! Now, nothing will stop my great conquest! _Its eye rolled to focus on Siegfried. _Rise, my servant, and together we will rule!_ There was no response whatsoever. _Filthy human?_ Soul Edge tried again. Still nothing. _Get UP, fool! Wield me! _A small twitch happened in the left middle finger. The glow of the barrier flickered, then died. _Well, I see that I have no other choice, _it soliloquized, moving to the right of Siegfried, _It's a good thing I have friends in low places…_It forcefully struck the ground, causing a flash and a violent rumble of the earth.

Mitsurugi finally lost the will and energy to fight, and was on his back, out of breath and out of luck. Taki had a foot pressed firmly against his chest while she sheathed Mekki-Maru and nonchalantly twirled Rekki-Maru. "Stay down," she hissed; then the rumble occurred. She was caught off-balance but regained it quickly. Both she and Mitsurugi stared in awe at the source.

Shippo and Kilala completely ignored the rumble, for they were already engrossed in something. "Uno," Shippo said boredly as he laid a card down. Kilala mewed almost inaudibly, and then snapped her head to look over the horizon. A second later, she transformed and took off. "Hey! Wait! This game isn't finished!" Shippo yelled after her. The moment she was out of sight, he looked at Kilala's hand. "That little sneak was bluffing the whole time…" he mumbled as he reshuffled the deck.

Siegfried was thrown against a tree by the rumble. The force woke him up.

* * *

And Sango? Well, our hero Sango was saying goodbye under a clear night sky…

"This week's been fun," Sango told the group that gathered to bid her farewell, "I won't forget the memories. Thanks Mike, Irene, Chip (Mike and Irene's godson), Mrs. Kayla (the elderly owner of the hotel), Craig (the island's track Olympian), Cecilia (Irene's older sister), Turtle Guy (the elderly jewelry maker), and especially you, Ognas (her twin from another mother)! You all have such a peaceful island for such lively characters." The islanders all said something along the lines of "Aw, shucks." At the same time, Kilala descended into their midst and landed next to Sango. "Right on time," Sango commented. "Oh, you're certainly riled up. There must be a fight waiting for me, huh? Oh well; nothing gold can stay." As soon as Sango mounted, Kilala took to the skies…

* * *

There was a huge crack in the ground where Soul Edge struck. Molten lava could easily be seen from it. Everyone stood frozen in their positions as Soul Edge slowly rotated above the opening, and a bright figure rose and took its handle. The figure resembled a skeleton with a magma-like interior. He held the sword just as Nightmare would.

Taki glared at her adversary. All she had to do now was defeat the yes-man and destroy the sword to finally end her journey. She was so close to finishing this for good. "Demon…" Her thoughts were interrupted by the sight of the neko taking her benefactor somewhere deep into the woods. With her was all of that money she'd earned this week. She went through way too much this week to just let that money slide. Yet, Inferno was still poised for an attack. One of them was going to have to wait.

"Jewel shards?" Inuyasha asked.

"Nothing," Kagome answered.

"Great. It's just another useless demon standing in our way." And with that, he ran to face off with Inferno. Taki watched this and silently thanked the heavens for bullheaded boys. "Don't blink," she said, and disappeared in a flash.

Siegfried slowly gathered his bearings. He felt calmer than he ever had in a long time. "Soul Edge…" he said slowly, "is away from me? And my thirst for souls is gone…am I finally free?" He tried to stand, but sank back down against the tree he hit. A sharp pain went through his demon arm, and suddenly he felt like he was being pulled. At first he was confused, but then he realized what was happening: the demon in him was still trying to rejoin with the sword.

Sango stood in the area where Kilala took her, dressed for battle. "She said she would meet me here," she thought to herself just as Taki appeared there in a flash.

"There's not much time," Taki said quickly, reaching in a shadow to pull out Hiraikotsu. "Take this and follow me." Sango took her weapon and watched the ninja leap through the forest. Kilala began to run; Sango grabbed her fur and swung onto her back, and together they flew back into the fray.

The fight started without them, and currently Inuyasha was winning by a landslide. It didn't even look like Inferno was attempting to hit him. Six swings and an uppercut later, Inferno was down. Inuyasha looked down disapprovingly at him. "That was easy," he commented.

"Too easy," added Miroku.

"It isn't over!" Everyone turned to look at Taki. Soon after, Sango and Kilala touched down. "One knockout won't keep him down," Taki continued, "As a matter of fact…" her words trailed off. In one fluid movement, Rekki-Maru was unsheathed and flying right towards Inuyasha. Kagome gasped; Miroku and Sango followed the path of the dagger intently. Inuyasha didn't duck; he knew he didn't have to. Rekki-Maru went right over his head and into the chest of Inferno, who'd just recovered and was standing right behind Inuyasha. The being roared in anguish and tried to yank the blade out. A second later, Mekki-Maru struck as well, even deeper. Inferno staggered, Soul Edge dropping out of his hand, and hit the ground hard. Taki ran past Inferno at top speed and removed her daggers and she sped past. "Anyway," Taki said, "One more round should-"

_THUD._ A tree off to the side fell to the ground. Standing next to it was a haughty reptile demon who had no idea what he'd just walked into. "Beware humans!" the demon laughed, "I will steal your wives and…" He began to realize what was happening around him. "…eat…your…children? Um, is this a bad time?" he finally asked.

"Not at all," Sango replied, and flung Hiraikotsu. The demon was obliterated. "Anytime's a good time to destroy lowlifes." Hiraikotsu circled around Taki and returned to Sango's hand. Sighing, she thought, _I'm glad I still have a strong throw after a week of no sort of training._ She caught the last (and most critical) part of a conversation between Shippo and Miroku.

"Yep, that's the real Sango," Shippo said proudly.

"The _real _Sango?" Miroku repeated.

"What?" Sango interjected with shock. Taki squinted at the little runt. _He'd better hope that this doesn't involve me…_

Siegfried had been struggling this whole time, and was now about to lose to his evil self. He relaxed for a split second, and in that time his arm pulled with unnatural strength towards Soul Edge. It didn't get very far; a sacred arrow dug right into the dragon-like forearm. Siegfried stared at his now limp demon arm open-mouthed, then up at the archer.

Kagome lowered her bow to examine her handiwork. Satisfied, she turned to the newly arising problem. "Okay guys, what's this real Sango/fake Sango business?"

_

* * *

_

_This was my longest chapter ever. I think one more chapter should be enough to wrap this up. Sorry if you think I'm cutting this short. I left quite a few cliffhangers, like what's become of Inuyasha and Inferno? Does Shippo really know Sango's secret? If he does, will this stop Taki from being paid? I don't know…find out in the final chapter!_

_Oh yes, one more thing: a prize to whoever can guess the character counterparts of the islanders! _


	13. Day Seven

_Phenomenon here, fashionably late once again to deliver the final installment of _The Replacement! _So it's going to be rough wrapping all of this up, but I've had plenty of time to think about it. I'll make a final farewell to this story at the end, since I have a tendency to make this author note too big. _

_Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or any of its characters or SCII or any of its characters._

_

* * *

_

**Day Seven**

_Backtracking: "Yep, that's the real Sango," Shippo said proudly._

"_The _real _Sango?" Miroku repeated_.

Shippo opened his mouth, seemingly to confirm himself, Inuyasha interjected before he said anything. "Nice to see you're back from your little _vacation,_ Sango," he said sarcastically as his and Inferno's swords collided.

"It's nice to—um," Taki elbowed Sango before she could spill the beans, "I mean, huh?"

"As you can see," Inuyasha continued, "We've found a few ways to keep busy." Inferno was finally at the top of his game, countering every move Inuyasha made. The clanging of metal was the dominant sound, and darkness still prevailed even though it was dawn. Finally, Inuyasha was able to fake the demon out and land an upward slash. The move sent Inferno and Soul Edge flying straight upward. "Kagome, now!"

"Yes!" she answered, raised her bow, and fired two arrows. The first one dug itself into Inferno's stomach area. What ensued next was a scream unlike any other, signifying his pain, defeat, and soon-to-come demise. Soul Edge called after it in a voice that could be heard clearly in everyone's minds: _No! Not like thi-, aw shit!_ The second arrow found its mark, right in the middle of the sword's eye.

Now both evil entities were spiraling in mid-air, sporting sacred arrows. There was a split second of a utopian-like peace, and then came a loud and bright explosion. Everyone turned away or shielded their eyes except Kagome, who'd had a smart moment on her last trip home and brought sunglasses with her. After the blast, Inferno was no more and Soul Edge fell from the sky and stuck into the dirt, returned to the form of a simple blade. The darkness was expelled and the sun lit up the sky. Taki approached it with a look similar to disbelief or caution. Slowly extracting it from the dirt, she examined the sword more closely and swung it a few times. When her doubt was removed, she dropped the sword and straightened up as she looked down on the remains of Soul Edge. "I have finally been rid of this burden," she concluded almost breathlessly.

"As have I," Siegfried said from his original spot. He was sitting on the ground, but the sacred arrow was gone and so was the dragon arm, replaced by a human one.

"Well, now that that's all cleared up, I think it's high time we had a talk," Kagome said, looking at her befuddled comrades.

"My thoughts exactly," Miroku agreed.

* * *

"I know you got a lot of your information from the three dimwits," Taki told the group, now all sitting in a circle of fallen logs. (A/N: three dimwits: Kilik, Xianghua, Maxi) "I can tell you, though, how I fit into it and what I know of how I made it here.

"Soul Edge was defeated once, but not destroyed. The pieces of it scattered everywhere, corrupting the mind of any man who made contact with it. One such man was my master. Realizing that my demon blade, Mekki-Maru, possessed part of Soul Edge, he set to have it, even if he had to pry my cold, dead fingers off of it. So I ran from my master and from my clan, in hopes of vanquishing this demon.

About a week ago, I was attacked by a troupe of ninjas from my former clan. After taking care of them, I suddenly found myself here. The best reason I can think of why is that the main part of Soul Edge found a way into another dimension, and anything with some sort of connection with it made it here as well. Now that the blade is exterminated, we should be taken back to our own dimension soon, and then maybe I can approach my master in peace."

"Well, that makes sense, but what does that have to do with Sango?"

"It doesn't," Sango replied, "How could it? I may have met Taki once before now."

"Twice," Miroku corrected her.

"R-right…" Sango cautiously agreed. Taki suddenly began to lose her comfort.

"Actually, it _was_ once, Sango. Don't you remember?" Miroku was obviously playing games with her mind.

"Of course I do!" she said quickly.

"What are you guys talking about?" Shippo interjected, "Sango's been gone this whole time! We've been hanging out with Taki instead. I thought it was some sort of a game, so I didn't say anything…didn't you guys know?"

Everyone froze, even Kilala, who was in on the whole thing. Taki and Sango worked up an excuse at the same time. "But…" they both began.

"Wait," Kagome cut in, "I did notice Sango get startled when I sat Inuyasha…"

Inuyasha grumbled at the thought. "She smelled different all week…" he added.

"And Taki and Sango were never seen in the same place…until now." The Kilala was out of the bag, and there was no convincing them otherwise. The two exchanged glances, then shared a sigh. It was time for some more explaining.

"You caught us," Sango began, her head down, "I really _was_ gone this week-"

"-And I was here instead," Taki finished for her, still looking completely calm.

"When I first saw Taki, she and I started up a conversation after noticing our…similar qualities. She agreed to pose for me while I spent some time elsewhere. And she must've done a pretty good job to fool you all…" she glanced at Shippo, "…for the most part."

Taki huffed. "I got the most hassle from _this_ one," she pointed to Miroku's spot, which was currently vacant. Not missing a beat, she turned to her other side where Miroku was now perched between her and Sango and taking her hand. "Not Sango, but just as beautiful…this must be some sort of blessing-" Miroku's sentence was cut off by the wrath of Sango, which was completely unaffected by her vacation. Taki looked down at the temporarily incapacitated monk with a glint in her eyes. "Or is it some sort of curse?" she said.

An energy caught her attention and she looked into the sky. The rest of the group followed suit. A few black clouds joined together and began swirling around like a whirlpool. Taki took note of it and nodded. "It looks like my time is up. Farewell, and good luck with your journeys." After a few short goodbyes, both parties went their separate ways. Sango, however, lagged behind until the group was out of eyesight. Checking over her shoulder one more time, Sango stood in front of Taki and placed a small burlap sack into her hands. "Things happen, right?" she said while still holding onto it.

"Absolutely," Taki laughed, then took a bow before taking her pay. She turned to the cloud formation, but before leaping into it, she said one last thing to Sango: "I hardly know you, yet I completely respect you." Two seconds later, she was gone, along with those other crazy characters.

"Sango! Come on!" Sango turned at the sound of her name, then looked at the miniature Kilala, who responded by hopping onto her shoulder while she ran to catch up.

"Where did you go, exactly?" Miroku asked when he saw her coming.

"Away from you," she replied smoothly.

"Now, Sango, don't be like that."

"Like what?" Kagome asked, "Herself?"

"Or worse." The two girls laughed heartily. "And by the way," Sango said, sobering up, "Do you have any relatives outside of the islands?"

"No…" Miroku replied slowly, "Why?"

"Just wondering."

**THE END (FINALLY)**

* * *

_That's all folks, that's all! I know this will go on to be one of my favorite fics, because it's currently the longest, I spent the most time on it, and I love the reviews I got for it! I'm so glad that this one-shot expanded in a way that I could write it mostly with ease, and it held the audiences' attention. And let me tell you, Unknown Wanderer and Kamon, thank you for being so loyal! You're the best! __ Please tell me what you thought of the fic overall, and look out for my future fics, one of which will be a one-shot, then another long term fic. Now, farewell to this story, and farewell to you!_


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